Peer Coaching in Practice: A workshop for peer coaching for sustainable research careers

Promotional graphic for a workshop on peer coaching for sustainable research careers, featuring participants in discussion around a meeting table and event details for 2 October 2026.

Doctoral research is demanding, and it isn’t always designed to be kind. This one-day retrospective and knowledge-exchange event brings PeerHD Online doctoral researchers together with project partners and external professionals to put peer coaching into practice, work through the real challenges of research life, and help shape what a more supportive research culture could look like next. Expect a practical, hands-on day: with useful skills development, deep conversations, and a room full of perspectives!

📅 Date: 2 October 2026
🌍 Language: English
⏳ Duration: From 9 to 17h
LOCATION

The event will take place at the StartUB! facility: C/ Pau Gargallo, 30 (entrada Pascual i Vila) 08028 Barcelona

Time

Session

9:00 – 9:30

Reception and coffee

9:30 – 10:00

Welcome and introduction

10:00 – 11:00

Crash course: the peer coaching skill of validation

11:00 – 11:15

Coffee break

11:15 – 12:00

Crash course: Peer Coaching!

12:00 – 13:00

Peer coaching practice

13:00 – 13:30

Peer coaching reflections

13:30 – 14:30

Lunch

14:30 – 16:00

Collaborative workshop: working through the challenges

16:00 – 16:30

Closing retrospective (plenary)

16:30 – 17:00

Close

This activity is recognized by the CHARM-EU consortium as an educational activity. All participants receive a certificate of participation. In addition, participants have the possibility to obtain a CHARM-EU edubadge with the completion of additional activities.  

The objectives of the day for participants are:

  • To develop peer coaching skills and apply them to their own research, with resources and guidance provided throughout
  • To learn about peer coaching, our research, and why peer coaching can be a key component in building a more relevant, kinder research culture capable of addressing today’s pressing challenges
  • To reflect on the challenges researchers face and form a collective strategy for addressing them
  • To network with peers and share experiences

Based on past experiences, we can promise a practical, fun, challenging day in which participants will gain skills they can apply right away, meet good people, and grow.

Language: English, given our international audience, though we can facilitate peer exchanges in participants’ own language where preferred.

9:00 – 9:30 · Reception and coffee

Participants collect a name tag and have a coffee or tea. A light food item will be provided.

9:30 – 10:00 · Welcome and introduction

Vesna and Ryan welcome participants and introduce the day: our speakers, what we are trying to achieve with peer coaching, and why it is needed.

10:00 – 11:00 · Crash course: the peer coaching skill of validation

A short, practical introduction to validation, the peer coaching skill participants will put into practice in the session that follows.

11:00 – 11:15 · Coffee break

Coffee and light snacks are provided courtesy of CHARM-EU funding. Thanks, CHARM-EU!

11:15 – 12:00 · Challenge collection

Individual time for participants to identify and write up a real challenge from their own research or working life to bring to peer coaching.

12:00 – 13:30 · Peer coaching practice

Participants put what they’ve learned into practice, working through the challenges identified that morning using our peer coaching from scratch document.

13:30 – 14:30 · Lunch

On-site lunch will be provided. 

14:30 – 16:00 · Collaborative workshop: working through the challenges

Joint learning activity addressing global challenges of research.

16:00 – 16:30 · Closing retrospective (plenary)

All groups come back together to share what came out of the workshop, reflect on the day’s outcomes, identify improvements, and explore opportunities for future collaboration.

16:30 – 17:00 · Close

This educational offer is made possible through CHARM‑ED. The CHARM-ED Funding Call is an initiative that incentivises collaborative educational innovation projects across the alliance. It provides small-scale seed funding for academic and professional staff to develop innovative educational activities aligned with CHARM-EU educational principles collaboratively.